Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Man Book Prize Long List Announced

The 13 books on the list include: one former Man Booker Prize winner; two previously shortlisted writers and one longlisted author; four first time novelists and three Canadian writers. The list also includes three new publishers to the prize - Oneworld, Sandstone Press and Seren Books.

The titles were chosen by a panel of five judges chaired by author and former Director-General of MI5, Dame Stella Rimington:

  • Julian Barnes The Sense of an Ending (Jonathan Cape - Random House)
    Sebastian Barry On Canaan's Side (Faber)
    Carol Birch Jamrach's Menagerie (Canongate Books)
    Patrick deWitt The Sisters Brothers (Granta)
    Esi Edugyan Half Blood Blues (Serpent's Tail - Profile)
    Yvvette Edwards A Cupboard Full of Coats (Oneworld)
    Alan Hollinghurst The Stranger's Child (Picador - Pan Macmillan)
    Stephen Kelman Pigeon English (Bloomsbury)
    Patrick McGuinness The Last Hundred Days (Seren Books)
    A.D. Miller Snowdrops (Atlantic)
    Alison Pick Far to Go (Headline Review)
    Jane Rogers The Testament of Jessie Lamb (Sandstone Press)
    D.J. Taylor Derby Day (Chatto & Windus - Random House)

I’m excited that Esi Edugyan’s Half Blood Blues was longlisted. It's the story of AfroGermans presence in the 1930s (Nazi Germany.)

“Berlin, 1939. A young, brilliant trumpet-player, Hieronymus, is arrested in a Paris cafe. The star musician was never heard from again. He was twenty years old. He was a German citizen. And he was black.

Fifty years later, Sidney Griffiths, the only witness that day, still refuses to speak of what he saw. When Chip Jones, his friend and fellow band member, comes to visit, recounting the discovery of a strange letter, Sid begins a slow journey towards redemption.

From the smoky bars of pre-war Berlin to the salons of Paris, Sid leads the reader through a fascinating, little-known world, and into the heart of his own guilty conscience.

Half-Blood Blues is an electric, heart-breaking story about music, race, love and loyalty, and the sacrifices we ask of ourselves, and demand of others, in the name of art.”

Read more about it here at http://www.esiedugyan.com/half-blood-blues.html

Save the Date: LitChat Alter Egos & Miranda Parker This Friday

 

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Samuel Clemons had Mark Twain. Charles Dodson had Lewis Carroll. The Bronte sisters had the Bells. Pseudonymns. For reasons public and private, long-speculated and tossed glibly in gossip, these and thousands of other authors through the years chose to publish their writing under different names. The reasons they chose pen names are many, varied from author to author and era to era. This week in #litchat we’ll discuss authors writing under pseudonyms.

On Friday, Litchat will chat with me about my choice to use a pen name and if the alter ego is a good excuse to be bad. Click here to get the deets on the chat, so you can join us.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Spring for Susannah Reviewed

Catherine Richmond’s Spring for Susannah

Synopsis:

With no prospects for marriage and her parents recently deceased, Susannah  agrees to go west to the Dakota territory to marry her minister's homesteading brother, Jesse Mason. But Susannah is painfully shy, doesn't see herself as worthy of love from either a husband or from God, and lives in constant fear that Jesse is going to ship her back to Detroit.

In spite of her petite size and the fact that Susannah doesn't look like she could survive on the prairie, Jesse quickly discovers that his new wife is a greater blessing than he even hoped for. The years she spent as her father's veterinary assistant allow her to save Jesse's ox and twin calves and to help neighboring farmers with their animals.

But Susannah's feelings of unworthiness are deeply rooted, and she can't believe that Jesse's praise-or the tenderness and love he shows-could possibly last. The thawing of her heart seems almost as distant as Spring in the midst of the winter blanketing the Dakota prairie.

My Review:

1. Character: Jesse was charming from the first moment he met Susannah. I enjoyed his character a great deal. Susannah, albeit living in this story centuries before me, is very relevant to women like me. Her self condemnation, feelings of inadequacies, not seeing her value… that’s what makes this story compelling for an African American woman living in Atlanta (me.)

2. Plot: This story has a clear beginning, middle, and end. No surprises.

3. Style/Tone: Richmond has an elegance to her storytelling that I admire. It fit very well with a historical romance set in the Dakotas.

4. Setting/Theme: I enjoyed learning about Dakota Territory, particularly Oriska, North Dakota when it was a part of Fourth Siding.  One of my challenges with modern women’s historical fiction is the notion that revising history for the sake of not dealing with the hard stuff works or keeps it pretty for women readers to digest. Revisionist history in works like Cold Mountain, The Help unnecessarily glosses over important issues that would make the story even more compelling. In this case Richmond, did the opposite and I applaud her for that.It was a perfect balance of grounding us into a realist backdrop of the time of Custer, the Maldan Indians, Reconstruction, and the expansion of the western territory.

5. Voice/Orthodoxy: The Christian Worldview doesn’t overwhelm or plod the plot. There is a very good balance of storytelling and spiritual takeaway.

Spring of Susannah was pitch perfect and hit every point I look for in a novel. Kudos! 5 Stars

Saturday, July 16, 2011

2011 ACFW Carol Awards Finalists Announced

 

 

Last week at ICRS the ACFW held a press conference to announce the  2011 Carol Awards Finalists:

Debut Novel:
The Preacher’s Bride by Jody Hedlund (Bethany House - Dave Long/Sharon Asmus, Editors)
Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes (Tyndale Publishers - Kathryn Olson, Editor)
Rooms by James L. Rubart (B&H Publishing - Julee Schwarzburg, Editor)

Long Contemporary:
The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher (Revell - Andrea Doering, Editor)
Red Ink by Kathi Macias (New Hope Publishers - Randy Bishop, Editor)
Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate (Bethany House - Dave Long, Editor)

Long Contemporary Romance:
Plain Jayne by Hillary Manton Lodge (Harvest House - Kim Moore, Editor)
Anna’s Return by Marta Perry (Berkley - Ellen Edwards, Editor)
Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman (Thomas Nelson - Natalie Hanemann, Editor)

Long Historical:
Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs (Waterbrook Press - Laura Barker, Editor)
Petra: City in Stone by T.L. Higley (B&H Publishing - Karen Ball, Editor)
Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren (Summerside Press – Susan Downs, Editor)

Long Historical Romance:
The Husband Tree by Mary Connealy (Barbour - Rebecca Germany, Editor)
Love Finds You In Homestead, Iowa by Melanie Dobson (Summerside - Rachel Meisel/Connie Troyer, Editors)
Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz (Revell - Andrea Doering, Editor)

Mystery:
Mirrored Image by Alice K. Arenz (Sheaf House - Joan M. Shoup, Editor)
Muslin Mystery by Vera Dodge (Guideposts - Beth Adams, Editor)
The Camera Never Lies by Elizabeth Goddard (Barbour – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

Novellas:
The Prodigal Groom by Vickie McDonough (Barbour – Rebecca Germany, Editor)
Ride With Me Into Christmas by Rachael Phillips (Barbour – Rebecca Germany, Editor)
A Trusting Heart by Carrie Turansky (Barbour – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

Romantic Suspense:
The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson (Summerside Press - Rachel Meisel/Susan Downs, Editors)
Don’t Look Back by Lynette Eason (Revell - Andrea Doering, Editor)
Pursuit of Justice by DiAnn Mills (Tyndale Publishers - Karen Watson, Editor)

Short Contemporary:
The Wedding Garden by Linda Goodnight (Love Inspired - Allison Lyons)
A Father for Zach by Irene Hannon (Love Inspired - Melissa Endlich, Editor)
Winter’s End by Ruth Logan Herne (Love Inspired - Melissa Endlich, Editor)

Short Contemporary Suspense:
Night Prey by Sharon Dunn (Love Inspired Suspense - Emily Rodmell, Editor)
Legacy of Lies by Jill Elizabeth Nelson (Love Inspired Suspense - Emily Rodmell, Editor)
Firestorm by Kelly Ann Riley (Love Inspired Suspense - Tina James, Editor)

Short Historical:
Her Healing Ways by Lyn Cote (Love Inspired Historical - Tina James, Editor)
Promise of Tomorrow by S. Dionne Moore (Barbour - JoAnne Simmons, Editor)
The Columns of Cottonwood by Sandra Robbins (Barbour - JoAnne Simmons, Editor)

Speculative Fiction:
The Wolf of Tebron by C. S. Lakin (AMG Publishers - Rick Steele, Editor)
Rooms by James L. Rubart (B&H Publishing - Julee Schwarzburg, Editor)
König’s Fire by Marc Schooley (Marcher Lord Press – Jeff Gerke, Editor)

Suspense/Thriller:
Predator by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan - Sue Brower/Dave Lambert, Editors)
Fear No Evil by Robin Caroll (B&H Publishing – Karen Ball, Editor)
Medical Error by Richard L. Mabry (Abingdon Press – Barbara Scott, Editor)

Women’s Fiction:
Beaded Hope by Cathy Liggett (Tyndale Publishers - Jan Stob/Lorie Popp, Editors)
They Almost Always Come Home by Cynthia Ruchti (Abingdon – Barbara Scott, Editor)
Beyond Summer by Lisa Wingate (NAL - Ellen Edwards, Editor)

Young Adult:
Anything But Normal by Melody Carlson (Revell - Lonnie Hull Dupont, Editor)
The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson (Zonderkidz - Jacque Alberta, Editor)
Katy’s New World by Kim Vogel Sawyer (Zonderkidz - Jacque Alberta, Editor)

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Receive a Free Review Copy of Shana Burton’s Catt Chasin


African American Christian Fiction


DeeGospel PR is seeking book bloggers and book reviewers to participate in the 2011 Online Blog Tour for Shana Burton’s Catt Chasin. To participate please read below and complete the form, we will send you details on how the tour will run and how to get a book to you for review. 
Catt Chasin Synopsis:
Jamal Ford has narrowed his love life down to a science through the creation of his 30-Day Dating Plan, a guide intended to weed out the drama queens, gold-diggers, and baby mamas from his ideal: a part goddess, part sex kitten, and part Stepford Wife mate. The shallow, fun-loving 33-year-old knows he’s one of Charlotte, North Carolina’s most eligible bachelors, and he won’t settle for anything less than the trophy wife of his dreams.
Catherine “Catt” Cason has never let anything slow her down. The brilliant chemist takes being labeled “the cute fat girl” in stride as she fast-tracks her way to a top position with her cosmetic company, Telegenic. While she would enjoy the love of a good man, Catt refuses to risk heartbreak again just to have a warm body at her side. Besides, why settle for the love of an earthly man when she is the fiancée of Christ?
When Jamal is paired with Catt to launch a new product for work, it’s loathe at first sight. She thinks he’s arrogant and incompetent; he thinks she’s a sanctimonious kill-joy. However, what each believes they want may not be what God knows they need. In this game of love, rules don’t exist, and no heart is safe. The Lord is speaking, but will they be too caught up in their own agendas to listen?

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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

2011 Christys Award Winners Announced

The 2011 Christy Awards presentation was held Monday evening, July, 11, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta during the International Christian Retail Show. The banquet featured a keynote address by celebrated screenwriter and director Randall Wallace and was emceed by New York Times best-selling and Christy Award-winning author, Liz Curtis Higgs.

Congrats to the 2011 Christy Awards.

Contemporary Romance
Sworn to Protect

by DiAnn Mills (Tyndale House Publishers)

Contemporary Series
The Reluctant Prophet

by Nancy Rue (David C. Cook)

Contemporary Standalone
Almost Heaven

by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House Publishers)

First Novel
Heartless

by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Historical
While We’re Far Apart

by Lynn Austin (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Historical Romance
The Girl in the Gatehouse

by Julie Klassen (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Suspense
The Bishop

by Steven James (Revell Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Visionary
To Darkness Fled

by Jill Williamson (Marcher Lord Press)

Young Adult
Motorcycles, Sushi, and
One Strange Book

by Nancy Rue (Zondervan)

 

Monday, July 11, 2011

Christian Fiction: My Writing Journey

‎"...my boss assigned me to interview a new pastor in town. He was a local loadie, bad boy turned good, who now had returned to his hometown to fulfill God’s vision for his people and make a better name for himself ... I was intrigued until my boss told me my subject’s name. You guessed it: my old crush who dropped me like a hot potato because I was too holy-fide to be a high school hoochie."http://bit.ly/dd2xea

Monday, July 04, 2011

A Good Excuse to hang with Miranda Parker this Independence Day

 

 

Happy Independence Day!

 

Today is also the launch of my online blog tour for Miranda Parker’s A Good Excuse to Be Bad! To keep you in the holiday spirit, I began the tour with my favorite National Anthem tributes at The Master’s Artist Blog.

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Then hop over to Rhonda McKnight’s Urban Christian Fiction Today as I share  something interesting about some of the difficult scenes I had to write.

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At All the Buzz Reviews I share some of the jobs I had before I became Miranda Parker. You would be surprised at what popular things I was a part of. I still pinch myself.

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The Big Thrill Newsletter spotlights me as a debut author here. Some of my author friends share nice things about A Good Excuse to Be Bad.

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And then I share my writing journey on Christian Fiction Online Magazine. Click here or click the pic.

Christian Fiction Online Magazine

 

After you’ve checked in, you can chat with me live on www.Facebook.com/mirandaparkerbooks or at www.mirandaparker.com

agetb3b

Keep checking this week to chat with me. I have some Goodies to sprinkle on some of the participants. Thank you so much in sharing this journey with me. Click the link below to see this summer’s online tour schedule. If you would like to be a part of it, visit me at www.mirandaparker.com.

http://www.tywebbin.com/blog-tours/2011/04/a-good-excuse-to-be-bad-blog-tour-july-4-8-2011/

readalong

I will also be chatting with you on GoodReads all summer about A Good Excuse to Be Bad one chapter at a time. You’re invited to join us! Click here.

mirandatour

And don’t forget my A Good Excuse to Drive Fast Miranda Parker 2011 Road Tour. This weekend we were in Valdosta, Georgia. We sold all the books in town and some. This weekend we will be in Atlanta for my Book Release Party hosted by Barnes & Noble. Free and open to the public. Food. Summer Refreshments. Book Fun and Me. Click the pic or link to join us. If you would like me to come to your town message me.

*The pic of Clothespin Betsy Ross is adorable. Click the link to purchase your own.

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